Hermeneutics offers an approach that allows one to comprehend what an author or speaker intended to convey. Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpreting. However it originated as a legal and theological approach of governing the application of civil law, canon law, and the interpretation of Scripture, it advanced into a general theory of human understanding through the work of “Friedrich Schleiermacher, Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Paul Ricoeur, and Jacques Derrida.” The understanding of any written text requires hermeneutics; reading a literary text is as much a hermeneutic act as interpreting law or Scripture. Hermeneutics explores how we read, understand and handle texts, especially those written in another tie or in a context of life different from our own.
The role of the interpreter while reading scripture, should not consider his or her own time and space, but the time and space of the author. Although it is very difficult to not consider a personal meaning based on current modern verbiage, the interpreter needs to consider many factors when interpreting what an author is actually saying. We must look at the historical context, the sociological landscape, the psychology and the linguistic base for the writing. A more precise look at the authorship needs to include the date of a particular work as just even a few years can make a difference in meaning. The group to which a work is addressed plays a major role in the meaning of a passage as writing to the Jewish, Gentiles or a mixed church can radically change the meaning. The purpose and themes are probably one of the most important aspects of understanding in order to aid in the interpretation. Although purpose and theme is one of the most important facets in interpretation, one of the hardest facets is the linguistic aspect.
The impact of the interpreter in discovering the meaning of the text is extremely important. “If we are to understand God’s truth for ourselves and others that we are teaching, we must discover precisely what God intended to communicate.” Correct interpretations will also dispel misconceptions and will allow for the Bibles message to be incorporated into our lives as intended.
Bibliography
Bulhof, Ilse N. Wilhelm Dilthey: A Hermeneutic Approach to the Study of History and Culture. The Hague [etc.: Nijhoff, 1980.
Clements, K. W. Friedrich Schleiermacher: Pioneer of Modern Theology. London: Collins, 1987.
Klein, William W., Craig Blomberg, Robert L. Hubbard, and Kermit Allen Ecklebarger. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1993.
Lew, Greg K. Hans-Georg Gadamer Hermeneutics, Ontology, and Praxis. 1999.
Lew, Greg K. Hans-Georg Gadamer Hermeneutics, Ontology, and Praxis. 1999.
Ormiston, Gayle L., and Alan D. Schrift. The Hermeneutic Tradition: From Ast to Ricoeur. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1990.
Osborne, Grant R. The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991.
Ricœur, Paul, and Richard Kearney. Paul Ricoeur: The Hermeneutics of Action. London: Sage Publications, 1996.
Thiselton, Anthony C. New Horizons in Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1992.
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